By Megan Monahan (pictured at left accompanying a client) “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” -Lilla Watson When I share that I am studying social work, people often ask, “So you…
DetailsBy Maria Post Laura is a survivor. She survived the dangerous trip to the United States from Mexico, seeking opportunity for her family and freedom from the cartel violence plaguing her home state. She survived her husband’s abuse and constant belittling of her, and she found the courage to start counseling at an agency serving…
DetailsBy Roberto Martinez, Amate House Volunteer By many standards, I’m very new to Chicago. I’ve spent 8 months here so far, and my first Chicago winter barely counts as winter (not complaining). It amazes me, however, how much more of Chicago I’ve seen than many of my clients who have lived here for decades. For…
DetailsBy Sr. Sheila O’Brien Often I would drive by a church of another domination on my way to work, and it seemed that the entire front was made of dark glass. But only when I attended a funeral there, did I get to see the incredible resplendent multihued beauty inside of the stained glass windows.…
DetailsBy Esther Uriostegui In addition to its primarily mission of connecting individuals to resources via accompaniment, Taller de José also serves as a welcoming community to university students like me to have a multicultural and interfaith experience. As a student from Dominican University majoring in Business and Theology, I was introduced to a special opportunity that…
DetailsThe following video was created in 2015 to celebrate the ministry of accompaniment. Watch to learn more about the mission and hear clients tell their stories in their own words! You can also use the following link to see the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGz6MjOfscg
DetailsJulia may win the award for having come the farthest distance to visit Taller de José; she currently lives in Puerto Rico. But when Julia heard that her son had been incarcerated in Chicago, she knew that she needed to visit and see what she could do to help. When Julia first met with her…
DetailsPor Kimberly Lopez, MSW Intern Taller de José es un lugar que a pesar de que tiene como meta servir principalmente a la comunidad también sirve a estudiantes como yo brindando oportunidades para prepararnos profesionalmente. Al comienzo, mi experiencia como estudiante para ser trabajadora social, ofreciendo mis servicios en el taller de José, me causó…
DetailsBy Roberto Martinez, Amate House Volunteer Roberto shared this reflection as part of the Amate House Little Village’s “Las Posadas” evening of advent reflections. It is inconvenient to welcome the stranger. Surely Mary struggled upon the first annunciation by the angel Gabriel. I relate to this because as part of my job at Taller de…
DetailsBy Ali McCandless, Jesuit Volunteer I have to admit, I’ve never been good with transitions… Although I was secure in the fact that I would be moving over 2000 miles from Southern California (where the weather doesn’t waver much) to Chicago (where the weather is unpredictable hourly), it didn’t become real until I started my…
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